Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
The Hub City Spartanburgers lost to the Brooklyn Cyclones in the South Atlantic League Championship Series on Tuesday night, putting an end to their inaugural season at Fifth Third Park. The Rangers' High-A affiliate relocated to Spartanburg, S.C. from Kinston, N.C., where they were known as the Down East Wood Ducks. Spartanburg had last hosted a Minor League team in the form of the Spartanburg Phillies, who played their final season in 1994.
Fifth Third Park is located in the Grain District, an area once home to grain mills. The grain was shipped out via rail, as was the textile that Spartanburg produced, and the various rail lines that encircled the area led to Spartanburg's Hub City nickname.
Fifth Third Park is the centerpiece of a much larger Grain District development project, so expect the surrounding area to look much different as the years progress. The most prominent new structure, outside the ballpark itself, is the city-owned parking garage located just beyond left field. A Spartanburgers team store is located on its ground floor.
The centerpiece of the ballpark itself is the LED Spartanburg sign on the roof behind home plate, which can be displayed in an array of colors.
Spartanburgers general manager Tyson Jeffers told me that front office employees take turns picking the sign's color, and it then stays that color until the Spartanburgers lose a game.
The Spartanburgers are unique in that they utilize a city nickname as a place name while incorporating the city itself into the team name. And with a team name like that, it's no surprise that Fifth Third Park offers a burger-centric fan – and player -- experience.
Chuck, seen below having removed his oversized engineer's cap for the national anthem, is one of the team's mascots. The team's logos, meanwhile, feature a spatula named Flip and a pickle named Chip.
Burgers are, of course, on the concession menu. And these burgers can be topped with any combination of ingredients at the self-serve Burger Bar, located at the far end of the first-base side concourse.
There are 102 toppings available at any given time, from the standard (lettuce, onion and tomato) to the absurd (Froot Loops). It's an overwhelming experience, a true choose-your-own adventure situation. Lauren Matthews, general manager of OVG Hospitality at Fifth Third Park, says that there are nine nonillion topping combinations available. I have no idea how to do that math, so I won't fact-check it. It's a number beyond comprehension.
In Spartanburg I recruited Trey Murschell to serve as my Designated Eater (the individual who consumes the ballpark cuisine my gluten-free diet prohibits). His task was to create a burger utilizing one of the nine nonillion options presented to him.
Trey, a New Jersey native who now lives in North Carolina, is a Minor League aficionado and ice cream helmet collector. He didn't pay for this burger, but if he had he'd have gotten his money's worth. It's topped with pork loin, pulled pork, steak filet, baked potato, tomato, mayo and jalapeños**.**
While Trey enjoyed his burger, I assembled another one for him to sample, consisting of the most random ingredients I could find. The "Ben's Biz Burger" is topped with Hot Fries, shredded carrot, sauerkraut, pretzel, strawberry jelly, peach pepper hot sauce, Froot Loops, croutons and, the pièce de résistance, a single marshmallow.
Trey tried this creation (abomination?) while blindfolded and was surprisingly diplomatic, saying that it had a "umami flavor.” He ate the whole thing, ultimately giving it a 5.5. We then moved on to the Spartanburgers' signature item (non-burger division): Deep-Fried Pizza.
"We knew we needed a pizza concept [and] thought, 'Well, we have a bunch of fryers,' said Williams. "'Let's fold it in half and see what happens.' It worked."
"This is not a calzone," said Trey. "That is good, especially with the dusting of the parmesan."
Fifth Third Park does not feature an eye-popping backdrop (though you can see Denny's headquarters looming in the distance). It does not have a 360-degree concourse, or any truly eye-popping architectural elements. What it does have is a phenomenal atmosphere, one of the absolute best I've experienced in the 2020s thus far.
The crowd was great both nights I was there, packing the intimate seating bowl (3,500 seats) and bringing the noise. They really had my back when I competed in, and won, a pickle juice chugging contest. (Note: I can now speak from experience that chugging a mason jar full of pickle juice is not a good idea.)
The front office, led by Jeffers (a St. Paul Saints alum), established an old-school "anything goes" promotional mentality from the jump. The schedule is packed with goofy and creative theme nights, and colorful characters abound.
Spartanburg isn't just the Hub City, it's also known as Sparkle City (apparently a tribute to a local 1950s rock band named the Sparkletones). Mascot Sparkle is a Carolina Parakeet, which, unfortunately, have gone extinct outside of the ballpark.
Sparkle the parakeet is not to be confused with J* Sparkle, a roller-skating hype woman with a seemingly permanent smile.
Dante "Chef" Carter, a stand-up comedian by trade, is another ballpark character. On one of the nights I was in attendance fans were given paper chef hats as they entered the ballpark, and Chef Carter then wrote customized insults on them (one of the funniest things I saw at any ballpark this season was a little kid walking around the ballpark in a paper hat that read "Future Felon.")
You'll find PA announcer Mike Vaughn in the thick of the action. When he announces a batter, he's closer to them than the pitcher is.
Along the spacious hallway that leads to the player locker rooms sits the Wall of Firsts. Dylan Dreiling is well represented.
On the concourse, you'll find a tribute to Spartanburg's previous home of Minor League Baseball, Duncan Park, which opened in 1926.
Those green wooden seats were originally installed at Philadelphia's Shibe Park! The following day, I went to Duncan Park, which still hosts high school baseball, and had myself a good sit in those original Shibe Park seats.
The current chapter of Spartanburg's Minor League history began with a bang this season and will hopefully continue for many decades to come. A South Atlantic League Championship Series appearance was a good place to start.
In the medium I work in, it's rare to come up with a good closing line, but I hope you find this one to be well done. At any rate I relish the opportunity to write for you, which is why I am able to mustard up the energy each and every week.
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